Allegretti

46 W. 22nd St. (212-206-0555)

On a forgettable block in the Flatiron district, chef Alain Allegretti, a native of Provence who has worked at Alain Ducasse’s three-Michelin-star restaurant Le Louis XV, in Monte Carlo, and more recently at Le Cirque and Atelier, has bravely ventured into that riskiest of territory: the namesake haute-cuisine establishment. More famous people (including Ducasse himself) have failed at such an enterprise, but perhaps being lesser known could be advantageous: if you’ve never heard of the chef, how do you know what to expect?

The décor provides an inauspicious first impression. Near the entrance, an oversized leather sofa is flanked by a cluster of blue cube-shaped ottomans, kind of like MercBar circa 1997; the bar itself appears to be constructed of chocolate-veneer particleboard. The dining room, with its cream-colored walls dotted with gold-and-glass Colonial hurricane sconces and blue-and-white sea-life prints, has the air of a mid-priced hotel chain in Ocean City. (Perhaps the wood-burning oven in the corner, when it’s put into use, will make things cozier.) The menu—starting with the prices—has its own ambition: a delicate rouget appetizer prepared with feuille de brick had exquisite leaves of parsley, layered with paper-thin batter, scattered atop the fillet’s crispy, rose-flecked skin. The succulent braised short ribs, accompanied by a silver gravy boat filled with a deeply gratifying red-wine jus that probably takes thirty-five hours to make, was an unqualified success. Other dishes, though, faltered in their unnecessarily complicated execution. A hearty niçois ravioli contained rich, delicious oxtail, but the accompanying Swiss chard was tiresomely vegetal; the chestnut cappelletti was filled with an indistinct mash, but the burnished duck ragout underneath, infused with sweet onion and mushroom, was heavenly.

The evening ended well, with desserts like lavender-honey crème brûlée and a gooey chocolate fondant with ricotta-almond gelato. But there were hints that Allegretti might not be quite ready for star billing. An otherwise gracious waiter described what went into the wild-mushroom trifolati by saying, “You know, seasonal mushrooms”; when probed for specifics about the cheese plate: “Oh, there are all different types of cheeses, from all different countries.” (Open Monday-Friday for lunch and Monday-Saturday for dinner. Entrées $30-$37.) ♦